Development, characterisation, biocompatibility, and corrosion analysis of gadolinium and selenium doped bioactive glass surface coating for dental implants

Objective

This study aimed to develop novel gadolinium and selenium-doped bioactive glass (gsBG)-coated titanium dental implants and analyse their surface, chemical, corrosion, and biocompatibility properties.

Methods

A sol-gel method was used to prepare gsBG by hydrolysing 45 % tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in water with nitric acid, followed by adding calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate, orthophosphoric acid, gadolinium, and selenous acid. The mixture was stirred, dip-coated on titanium, and sintered at 400 °C. The coating was characterised using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Biocompatibility was tested with MG63 cells, comparing gsBG-coated (Group A) and bare titanium implants (Group B). Cell viability was assessed at 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. An unpaired student t-test was performed to statistically analyse the effect of both groups on cell viability at various time points. Corrosion resistance was analysed via impedance and polarisation in artificial saliva.

Results

The SEM, EDX, and FTIR analysis proved the successful coating of the gsBG surface on the titanium implant. Confocal analysis following cell culture showed excellent biocompatibility. No statistically significant difference was observed between Groups A and B, with a P > 0.05 noted at all time points, suggesting that the developed implant coating was biocompatible as a bare titanium surface. Corrosion analysis revealed that the developed surface coating was thermodynamically stable with high corrosion resistance.

Conclusion

The developed novel gsBG surface coating has shown great potential as an implant surface coating for better osseointegration outcomes and long-term implant success.